Closing the Gap is good paramedicine

Thursday 16 Mar 2017

Providing greater opportunity
for Indigenous people to train as paramedics is one way that Charles Sturt
University (CSU) is helping to close the health-care gap.

CSU
paramedicine discipline leader in the School
of Biomedical Sciences, Mr Phillip Ebbs said, "We need to maintain a
paramedic workforce that is there for all members of the community and you can
only do that by ensuring that our students are drawn from all parts of the community.

"Some
of the most impressive future paramedics that I have ever met have been
Indigenous Australians from more remote communities.

"Sometimes,
high school leavers in remote communities have been unable to attain the required
marks, simply because they were raised in a remote area with limited resources,
or because of other factors occurring at the time."

"Charles Sturt University has a strong
international reputation as a leading paramedic university," Mr Ebbs said.

"We
have a reputation for producing some of Australia's best paramedics, and for
this reason, our graduates enjoy one of the highest graduate employment rates
in Australia.

"A
key to our success is that we promote diversity in our teaching and learning.
Mature age students partner with school leavers, Indigenous students will
partner with non-Indigenous students, students who grew up in the city learn
from students who have only ever known the land. Every student learns from what
their fellow students have to offer.

"Indigenous
students made up 2.9 percent of our total paramedicine students in 2016, that's
up from 1.4 per cent in 2011. In Port Macquarie, more than 6 per cent of our
Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) students are Indigenous.

"By
promoting diversity, we aim to produce paramedics who work with, and provide
emergency care to, people from all possible walks of life. It promotes an
understanding, dignity and respect for all members of our communities."